Musée du Mont-de-Piété de Bergues

About the museum

Like many French museums, the Bergues museum has its origins in the Revolution. Confiscations from religious houses in the region, notably from the wealthy abbey of Saint-Winoc, brought together several hundred paintings; the 1791 inventory already listed more than 340 from that abbey alone. Much of this work was later dispersed, returned to its owners or sold in the early 19th century.

The current municipal museum was established in 1953 in the former Mont-de-Piété, a building erected between 1629 and 1633 to designs by Wenceslas Cobergher. This brick and stone building, with richly decorated gables, has been a listed historic monument since 1907. The museum holds the “Musée de France” label.

The painting collections are mainly Flemish, from the 16th to the 18th century, and the display is organized around portraits, the female figure, religious art and still life. The major work is “Le Vielleur au chien” by Georges de La Tour. The museum also holds an important collection of old drawings bequeathed in 1877 by Pierre-Antoine Verlinde, as well as about a hundred watercolors by Pierre Drobecq depicting the region's mills. A room on the third floor is devoted to natural history, with bird dioramas and collections of butterflies and beetles acquired by the city in 1963.

Highlights

• “Le Vielleur au chien” by Georges de La Tour
• Flemish paintings from the 16th to the 18th century
• Old drawings from the Verlinde bequest (Poussin, Le Brun, Vouet, Van Dyck, Tiepolo…)
• Watercolors by Pierre Drobecq of the region's mills
• Natural history room: birds, butterflies, beetles
• Building by Wenceslas Cobergher (1629–1633), listed as a historic monument

Permanent exhibitions

• Peintures flamandes et école du Nord – Route around portraits, the female figure, religious art and still life, with “Le Vielleur au chien” by Georges de La Tour.
• Dessins anciens et aquarelles – Drawing collection bequeathed by Pierre-Antoine Verlinde in 1877 and watercolors by Pierre Drobecq of the region's mills.
• Salle de sciences naturelles – Bird dioramas of forests, fields and wetlands, and cases of butterflies and beetles.

Founded

1953

Operated by

Ville de Bergues

Visitors per year

approx. 4,166

Admission & discounts

Free admission upon proof for job seekers, teachers preparing a visit, ICOM card holders, students of art history and the École du Louvre, licensed tour guides of historic monuments, tourist office staff, schools and middle schools in Bergues, Friends of the museum and Crédit Agricole sociétaires.

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